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Friday, May 14, 2010

Simplicity 4047 - 1950's Retro Blouse

Finis!

I love this blouse! I am not real savvy about altering raglan sleeves for a full bust but over all I am pleased with the fit. I think this fabric is so pretty, which you can't pick up here but have seen in my previous post. DH said "that's beautiful" so it all works for me. Here is what I had to do with Simplicity 4047:

I cut the side seams wider from the armpit down to accommodate a C cup. I had to do a sway back adjustment cutting off 1 inch at the center back waistline on the bodice, not the peplum. This was tapered back to normal at the side seams. Based on reviews I read on PR, I made my side seam invisible zip go right up into the armpit. Frankly, I don't know how you would get this on if you used the recommended 9 inch zipper. I used a twelve. With the twelve inch zipper I could not get this over the shoulders on my dress form. But I was able to get it on me, no problem. All facings were eliminated and the blouse is fully lined from edge to edge. I sewed the lining in around the neckline, clipped, turned, and under stitched. Then I decided to bag the lining, reaching into the sleeves, grabbing the lined up sleeve edges, pulling them to the outside and stitching. This worked like a charm. I left the rest of the lining to hang freely and hemmed the blouse and lining separately. To secure the lining so it would not roll out I ditchstitched in the underarm and shoulder seams and it worked great. This lovely linen really required a lining and a facing would have shown horribly thru the white linen.

I am very pleased with this. I do think this pattern runs snug as others have said on PR, so beware. In a perfect world I would have made a muslin first. I can see this in that glorious silk my daughter brought me back from Singapore with the cropped narrow pants to match, very Mad Men. Will somebody please invite me to a wedding or such so I can make that outfit, please..........Bunny

You did a great job here....the secret to this "look" is that it has to be trim around the midriff/lower bust/waist area, and you did it. Putting in a bust dart in a kimono sleeve (that's what I call this sleeve), is really hard, but you can put in another dart from just below bust point to side tilted way down. There's a way to slash and spread this sleeve pattern, but it does involve a little drafting. Also you could put in a gussett and that would help with the guesswork part of the dart....it's that armhole line you have to guess at when you're putting in the side bust dart. But honestly I don't think you need it. The "look" is supposed to be full through the shoulder, and trim through the midriff and waist, and you did it.

Beautifully made, Bunny. And thanks for all the details on the adjustments. This has been in my collection awhile and I did to try it. I guess I've avoided making this blouse because of the FBA, but now I will try your solution to see if it works for me. Looking good. ;-)

About Me

I am a passionate sewist who was taught heirloom hand sewing by Spanish nuns as a child. But my love of all things fiber has taken many turns since then. I have seriously sewn my entire life and can't imagine not doing so. I have tried other creative endeavors but now realize that designing and sewing clothing for myself and others is what I am meant to do. I pray this trip through my blog is one you will savor and return to. I've been proudly blogging since April of 2007.